Mark Denny was released from prison on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, after serving 30 years for a rape and robbery he did not commit, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. (Credit: Barry Williams)

HOUSTON - Texas, and specifically Harris County, have long been known as the epicenter of capital punishment in the United States.

Over the last 20 years, 438 people have been executed in the state, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. However, the number of yearly executions nationwide has dropped steeply since the turn of the century.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there were 98 executions in the United States in 1999. Last year, there were 23. During the same time in Texas, the number of executions dropped from 35 to seven.

“People are more reluctant to give out death sentences,” said city of Houston victims rights advocate Andy Kahan.